The instant invention relates to toy vehicles, and more particularly a toy vehicle comprising a movable body component which is movable with a realistic action movement.
Toy vehicles, including toy cars, trucks, off-road vehicles and the like, have been found to be relatively popular with children of various ages. Further, toy vehicles which include various movable body components, such as movable windows, hoods, trunk lids, or sun roofs, have been found to have increased levels of appeal. However, it has been found that the heretofore available operating mechanisms for moving the movable body components of toy vehicles have generally been incapable of moving the movable components thereof with realistic action movements. Specifically, it has been found that the operating mechanisms of the movable body components of the heretofore available toy vehicles have only been operable for moving components thereof with relatively abrupt action movements which fail to simulate the types of slow and steady action movements normally associated with the movable body components of full-sized vehicles. For this reason, while toy vehicles which have included movable body components have been found to be relatively popular, the appeal of such vehicles has been at least somewhat limited by the inability of the operating mechanisms thereof to operate the movable components thereof with realistic action movements.
The instant invention provides a toy vehicle comprising a movable body component and an operating mechanism which is operative for moving the movable body component thereof with a realistic action movement. More specifically, the instant invention provides a toy vehicle comprising a movable body component, such as a sun roof, a window, a hood, or a trunk lid, and an operating mechanism which is operative for moving the movable body component with a relatively deliberate dampened action movement so that the movable component is operable with an action movement which is more similar to that normally associated with a movable component of a full-sized vehicle. For example, when the movable component of the toy vehicle of the subject invention comprises a vehicle window, the operating mechanism is operable for moving the vehicle window between open and closed positions thereof with a slow, dampened action which more closely resembles the type of movement normally associated with an electrically-operated window of a full-sized vehicle.
The toy vehicle of the subject invention comprises a body-and-chassis assembly including a main portion and at least one movable component, such as a window, a sun roof, a trunk lid, or a hood, which is movable relative to the main portion between first and second positions thereof. The toy vehicle further includes an operating mechanism which is operative for moving the movable component between the first and second positions thereof with a dampened action so that the movable component is movable with a realistic action movement. Specifically, the operating mechanism includes an actuator member which is movable between first and second positions thereof, a linkage member which is movable by means of the actuator member for movement between first and second positions thereof, resilient biasing means which is operatively connected between the linkage member and the movable component such that when the movable component is in the first position thereof, movement of the linkage member from the first position thereof to the second position thereof causes the resilient biasing means to resiliently bias the movable component toward the second position thereof. The operating mechanism still further comprises dampening means for dampening the movement of the movable component toward the second position thereof from the first position thereof. The operating mechanism preferably comprises first and second linkage members, and the first linkage member is preferably movable for causing the resilient biasing means to resiliently bias the movable component toward the second position thereof. The second linkage member is also movable between first and second positions thereof and it is preferably operatively connected to the biasing means for moving the movable component with the biasing means through the second linkage member. The dampening means preferably includes a viscous dampening fluid which is operatively interposed between the biasing means and the second linkage member so that relative movement between the first and second linkage members is dampened by the viscous fluid. In one embodiment the first and second linkage members comprise rotatable disks which are rotatable for movement between the respective first and second positions thereof. In this embodiment the dampening means preferably includes a cavity member having a circular cavity therein, and a viscous fluid in the cavity. The second rotatable disk is mounted in the cavity in contact with the viscous fluid such that rotation of the second rotatable disk in the cavity is dampened by the viscous fluid. In this embodiment the cavity member is mounted in a stationary position relative to the main portion of the body-and-chassis assembly so that rotation of the first rotatable disk causes the biasing means to be loaded against the second rotatable disk, and so that the rotation of the second rotatable disk is dampened by the viscous fluid in the cavity. Accordingly, the movement of a movable component operatively connected to the second rotatable disk is also dampened by the viscous fluid in the cavity.
In a second embodiment of the toy vehicle of the subject invention the second linkage member comprises a cylinder member having an open cavity formed therein and the viscous fluid is located in the cavity in the cylinder member. In this embodiment the dampening means comprises a shaft of preferably non-circular cross section which is rotatably received in the cavity and secured in a fixed position relative to the main portion of the body-and-chassis assembly. In this embodiment, rotation of the first linkage member causes the biasing means to be loaded against the cylinder member and the viscous fluid in the cylinder member dampens the rotation of the cylinder member relative to the shaft therein. Accordingly, movement of a movable component attached to the cylinder member is also dampened by the fluid in the cylinder member.
In a third embodiment of the toy vehicle of the subject invention the dampening means comprises a cylinder member having an open cavity formed therein and a viscous fluid in the cavity. In this embodiment the cylinder member is secured in a fixed position relative to the main portion of the body-and-chassis assembly and the second linkage member comprises a piston element which is movable in the cylinder member. In this embodiment the biasing mean is operative for biasing the piston element to an advanced position in the cylinder member when the first linkage member is moved from a first position thereof to a second position thereof, and the viscous fluid in the cylinder member is operative for dampening longitudinal movement of the piston element in the cylinder member.
It has been found that the toy vehicle of the subject invention is operative with substantially more realistic action movements than the heretofore available toy vehicles and that as a result it has a substantially increased play value. Specifically, it has been found that because the movable body component of the toy vehicle of the instant invention is movable with a dampened motion, rather than with an abrupt direct motion, it is operative with a motion which more closely resembles that of an actual movable body component of a full-sized vehicle. It has been further found that as a result of this feature the toy vehicle of the subject invention has a significantly increased level of play value.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a toy vehicle comprising a movable body component which is operative with a realistic action movement.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a toy vehicle comprising a movable body component which is movable with a dampened action so that the movement thereof more closely simulates the movement of an actual vehicle component.
An even still further object of the instant invention is to provide a toy vehicle which includes an operating mechanism comprising means for resiliently biasing a movable body component on the vehicle for movement from a first position toward a second position, and means for dampening the movement of the movable component from the first position toward the second position thereof.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.